To facilitate a better understanding for the background of the present invention and the invention itself, the following definitions are hereby provided:
Amalgamating Composition--One or more amalgamating alloys, metals and/or intermetallic compounds or combinations thereof, that upon trituration with an Amalgamable Composition (see below), produce an amalgam (see below).
Amalgamable Composition--One or more amalgamable alloys, metals and/or intermetallic compounds or combinations thereof, that upon trituration with an Amalgamating Composition (see above), produce an amalgam (see below).
Amalgam Forming Composition--A composition that forms an amalgam upon trituration. Such compositions comprise an Amalgamating Composition (see above), until now for the most part, usually liquid mercury, and an Amalgamable Composition (see above). Such amalgams are in wide use in the field of dentistry.
The usual material used for filling dental cavities is based on amalgam obtained when suitable alloys, usually silver based, are triturated with inercury. The alloys so used are referred to herein as amalgamable materials. While the mercury so used, is referred to as an amalgamating material, other amalgamating materials, for the most part based on liquid combinations of indium and mercury, have also been described.
In an earlier patent application, now published as PCT/IL96/00167, there is described improved compositions for the formation of dental amalgams. The improvements in the said compositions were based on the development and utilization of improved amalgamable alloys and combinations of metals, as well as the use of liquid indium-mercury combinations mentioned above.
The information and disclosures of PCT/IL96/00167 are included herein by reference.
The usual liquid mercury and liquid mercury based amalgamating alloys are clumsy to handle, likely to spill and are not easy to recover, should a spill occur.